1. Field of the Invention
This invention relates to devices and methods used to train dogs, and more particularly, to devices and methods used to train field dogs.
2. Description of the Related Art
There are thirty-nine breeds of field dogs which are divided into three main categories--pointing breeds; retrieving breeds; and flushing breeds. During the last two hundred years, each breed in the three categories have been selectively bred to strengthened certain desirable instincts. One such instinct is the instinct to point birds. One objective for all dog trainers is to teach the dog to "sit", to "stay", to "heel", and to "come" on command. For a field dog trainer, a further objective is to strengthen the dog's instinct to point, to fetch, and to flush prey on command. Since all field dogs have the instinct to chase prey, one goal of a field dog trainer is to modify this instinct for the specific category of field dog. For example, most untrained field dogs want to instinctively chase the prey as it is flushed from the field. To prevent the dog from being accidentally shot or from scaring other prey hiding in the field, the trainer must modify the dog's behavior so that it remains stationary until the "fetch" command is given.
In order to properly train the field dog, the trainer must not only give commands but also be able to effectively control the dog at all times. For example when training pointers, the trainer must stand in front of the dog and "work the bird" while maintaining verbal and physical control of the dog. To keep the dog in a stationary, pointing position, a second individual, hereinafter known as a helper, is used to restrain the dog using a rope attached to the dog's collar. When the bird is "put to wing" by the trainer, the helper restrains the dog in a position known as "steady to wing". When the bird is grounded, the helper continues to restrain the dog in a position known as "steady to shot". When the bird is finally shot and falls to the ground, the trainer then gives the "fetch" command and the helper releases the dog so that it may retrieve the bird.
When training pointers, the dog must be taught to stand and hold a point until a "fetch" command is given by the trainer. Unfortunately with current training methods, teaching the dog to hold a point is difficult. In many instances, when the dog is restrained with rope attached to its collar, the dog will jump and spin around trying to free itself. As a result, the dog will often loose its mark on the bird.
When training retrievers and pointers, it is desirable to teach the dog to stay in a sitting or pointing position at various distances from the trainer. To teach these skills, various modes of rewards and punishment must be used. When one individual is attempting to train the dog using current training methods, the punishment can be harsh and detrimental causing the dog to cower, lose style, or intentional ignore the bird after smelling it to avoid pressure, also known as "blinking the bird".
Because current methods used for training field dogs are inefficient and require the trainer to use a helper, the cost of training field dogs is increased. Also, because helpers are not always available for training, one individual using current training methods to train a field dog, may produce a dog that is improperly or partially trained.
A device and method which is easy to use and which allows one individual to completely and properly train a field dog would be very desirable.